Overview
- The nomination, announced late Wednesday, requires Senate approval, and Socha will stay in his Delaware North post while it is pending.
- Socha has led the company’s parks and resorts division since 2017; Delaware North runs hospitality services in several national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Shenandoah.
- Advocacy groups say he lacks public-service conservation experience and warn the pick aligns the agency with privatization and corporate interests.
- Delaware North’s 2016–2019 trademark fight over Yosemite place names ended in a $12 million settlement, a history fueling calls for conflict-of-interest scrutiny.
- The Park Service has gone more than a year without a confirmed director and has lost roughly a quarter of its permanent staff, as the NPCA urges a focus on filling vacancies and the agency’s mission.